History

The city is named after the river (old Russian: гра́д Моско́в, literally the city by the Moskva
River). The origin of the name is unknown, although several theories
exist.[3] One theory suggests that the
source of the name is an ancient Finnic language, in which it means “dark” and
“turbid”. The first Russian reference to Moscow dates from 1147 when Yuri Dolgoruki called upon the prince of the Novgorod Republic to “come to me, brother, to
Moscow.”[4]

Nine years later, in 1156, Prince Yuri Dolgoruki of Rostov ordered the
construction of a wooden wall, which had to be rebuilt multiple times, to
surround the emerging city.[5] After the
sacking of 1237–1238, when the Mongols burned the city to the ground and killed its
inhabitants, Moscow recovered and became the capital of an independent principality in 1327.[6] Its favourable position on the headwaters of the Volga
River contributed to steady expansion. Moscow developed into a stable and
prosperous principality for many years and attracted a large number of refugees
from across Russia.

Under Ivan I the city replaced Tver as a political
centre of Vladimir-Suzdal and became the sole collector of taxes
for the Mongol-Tatar rulers. By paying high
tribute, Ivan won an important concession from the Khan. Unlike other
principalities, Moscow was not divided among his sons but was passed intact to
his eldest. However, Moscow's opposition against foreign domination grew. In
1380, prince Dmitri Donskoi of Moscow led a united Russian army
to an important victory over the Tatars in the Battle of Kulikovo which was not decisive, though.
Only two years later Moscow was sacked by khan Tokhtamysh.
In 1480, Ivan III had finally broken the Russians free from Tatar
control, allowing Moscow to become the centre of power in Russia.[7] Under Ivan III the city became the capital of
an empire that would eventually encompass all of present-day Russia and other
lands.

The plague of 1654–1656 had killed half the population of
Moscow.[9] The city ceased to be Russia’s
capital in 1712, after the founding of Saint Petersburg by Peter the Great on the Baltic
coast in 1703. When Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812, the Muscovites
burned the city and evacuated, as Napoleon’s forces
were approaching on 14 September. Napoleon’s army, plagued by hunger, cold
and poor supply lines, was forced to retreat and was nearly annihilated by the
devastating Russian winter and sporadic attacks by Russian military forces.

In 1941, sixteen divisions of the national volunteers (more than 160,000
people), twenty-five battalions (18,500 people) and four engineering regiments
were formed among the Muscovites. That November, German Army Group Centre was stopped at the outskirts of the
city and then driven off in the course of the Battle of Moscow. Many factories were evacuated,
together with much of the government, and from October 20
the city was declared to be under siege. Its remaining
inhabitants built and manned antitank defences, while the city was bombarded from
the air. It is of some note that Stalin refused to leave the city, meaning the
general staff and the council of people's commissars remained in the city as
well. Despite the siege and the bombings, the construction of Moscow's metro system, continued through the war and by the
end of the war several new metro lines were opened.

On May 1,
1944, a medal
For the defence of Moscow and in 1947 another medal In memory of the 800th
anniversary of Moscow were instituted.

In 1991, Moscow was the scene of a coup attempt by the government members
opposed to the reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev. When the USSR was dissolved in the
same year, Moscow continued to be the capital of Russia.

The entire city of Moscow is headed by one mayor (Yuriy Luzhkov). It is divided into ten administrative
okrugs and 123 districts. Nine of the ten administrative districts, except the
City of Zelenograd (number 1 on the map), are located within City of Moscow
main boundaries. All administrative okrugs and districts have their own
coats of arms, flags, and elected head officials.
Additionally, most districts have their own cable television, computer network,
and official newspaper. In addition to the districts, there are Territorial
Units with Special Status, or territories. These usually include areas with
small or no permanent populations, such as the case with the All-Russia Exhibition Centre, the Botanical Garden, large parks, and industrial
zones.

In recent years, some territories have been merged with different districts.
There are no ethnic-specific regions in Moscow, as in the Chinatowns
that exist in some North American and East
Asian cities. And although districts are not designated by income, as with
most cities, those areas that are closer to the city centre, metro stations or green zones are considered more
prestigious.

The entire city of Moscow is headed by one mayor (Yuriy Luzhkov). It is divided into ten administrative
okrugs and 123 districts. Nine of the ten administrative districts, except the
City of Zelenograd (number 1 on the map), are located within City of Moscow
main boundaries.

All administrative okrugs and districts have their own coats of
arms, flags, and elected head officials. Additionally, most districts have
their own cable television, computer network, and official newspaper.

In addition to the districts, there are Territorial Units with Special
Status, or territories. These usually include areas with small or no permanent
populations, such as the case with the All-Russia Exhibition Centre, the Botanical Garden, large parks, and industrial
zones. In recent years, some territories have been merged with different
districts. There are no ethnic-specific regions in Moscow, as in the Chinatowns
that exist in some North American and East
Asian cities. And although districts are not designated by income, as with
most cities, those areas that are closer to the city centre, metro stations or green zones are considered more
prestigious.

In addition to being the capital of Russia, Moscow is the administrative
centre of Moscow Oblast. Since Moscow has the status of a federal city, it is administratively separate
from the oblast.

Administrative divisions

Moscow is divided into ten administrative okrugs, one of which (Zelenograd)
is located entirely outside the ring road.
Administrative okrugs are in turn divided into 123 districts
(raions).

Geography and climate

Moscow has a hemiboreal climate (Koppen climate
classification Dfb) with warm, somewhat humid summers and long, cold
winters. Typical high temperatures in the warm months of July and August are
around 22 °C (72 °F); in the winter, temperatures normally drop to
approximately -12 °C (10 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded was 36.7 °C
(98.1 °F)[11], and the lowest ever
recorded was -42.2 °C in January 1940. Monthly rainfall totals vary minimally
throughout the year, although the precipitation levels tend to be higher during
the summer than during the winter. Due to the significant variation in
temperature between the winter and summer months as well as the limited
fluctuation in precipitation levels during the summer, Moscow is considered to
be within a continental climate zone.

Moscow is situated on the banks of the Moskva
River, which flows for just over 500 km through the East European Plain in central Russia. There are
49 bridges across the Moskva River and its
canals within city limits.

Moscow’s road system is centered roughly around the heart of the city, the
Moscow Kremlin. From there, the roads in general radiate
out to intersect with a sequence of circular roads or “rings” focused at the
Kremlin.

The first and innermost major ring, Bulvarnoye Koltso (Boulevard Ring), was built at the former location of the
sixteenth century city wall around that used to be called
Bely Gorod (White Town).[6] The Bulvarnoye Koltso is technically not a ring; it does not
form a complete circle, but instead a horseshoe-like arc that goes from the Cathedral of Christ the
Saviour to the Yauza River. In addition, the Boulevard Ring changes
street names numerous times throughout its journey across the city.

The second primary ring, located outside the Boulevard Ring, is the Sadovoye
Koltso (Garden Ring). Like the Boulevard Ring, the Garden Ring
follows the path of a sixteenth century wall that used to encompass part of the
city.[6] The third ring, the
Third Transport Ring, was completed in 2003 as a high-speed freeway. The
Fourth Transport Ring, another freeway, is under construction to further reduce
traffic congestion. The outermost ring within Moscow is the Moscow Automobile Ring
Road (often called the MKAD from the Russian Московская Кольцевая
Автомобильная Дорога), which forms the approximate boundary of the city.

Outside the city, some of the roads encompassing the city continue to follow
this circular pattern seen inside city limits.

Stalin, however, is also credited with building the The Seven Sisters, comprising seven,
cathedral-like structures. A defining feature of Moscow’s skyline, their
imposing form was allegedly inspired by the Manhattan Municipal Building in New
York City, and their style — with intricate exteriors and a large central
spire — has been described as Stalinist Gothic architecture. All seven towers
can be seen from most elevations in the city; they are among the tallest
constructions in central Moscow apart from the Ostankino Tower which, when it was completed in 1967, was
the tallest free-standing land structure in the world and today remains the
world’s second-tallest after the CN Tower in Toronto.[14] The Soviet policy of providing mandatory housing for every
citizen and his or her family, and the rapid growth of the Muscovite population
in Soviet times, also led to the construction of large, monotonous housing
blocks, which can often be differentiated by age, sturdiness of construction,
or ‘style’ according to the neighbourhood and the materials used. Most of these
date from the post-Stalin era and the styles are often named after the leader
then in power — Brezhnev, Khrushchev, etc — and they are usually
ill-maintained.

The Stalinist-era constructions, usually in the central city, are massive
and usually ornamented with Socialist realism motifs that imitate classical themes. However, small churches — almost
always Eastern Orthodox - that provide glimpses of
the city's past still dot various parts of the city. The Old Arbat, a popular tourist street that was once the heart of a
bohemian area, preserves most of its buildings from prior to the twentieth
century. Many buildings found off the main streets of the inner city
(behind the Stalinist facades of Tverskaya Street, for example) are also examples of the
bourgeois decadence in Tsarist times. Ostankino, Kuskovo, Uzkoye and other large estates just outside Moscow
originally belong to nobles from the Tsarist era, and some convents and monasteries, both inside and
outside the city, are open to Muscovites and tourists.

Attempts are being made to restore many of the city’s best-kept examples of
pre-Soviet architecture. These revamped structures are easily spotted by their
bright new colours and spotless facades. There are a few examples of notable,
early Soviet avant-garde work too, such as the house of the architect
Konstantin Melnikov in the Arbat area. Later examples of interesting Soviet architecture are
usually marked by their impressive size and the semi-Modernist styles employed, such as with the Novy Arbat project, familiarly known as “false teeth of
Moscow” and notorious for the wide-scale disruption of a historic area in the
Moscow downtown involved in the project.

As in London, but on a broader scale, plaques on house exteriors will
inform passers-by that a well-known personality once lived there. Frequently,
the plaques are dedicated to Soviet celebrities not well-known outside of
Russia. There are also many ‘house-museums’ of famous Russian writers,
composers, and artists in the city.

Moscow's skyline is quickly modernizing with several new towers under
construction. One tower will be the second tallest in the world when it is
completed in 2010, the 2,009-foot (612 m) tall Russia
Tower.

Culture

Moscow’s world-famous museums and galleries with their collections, are some of the largest and most
important in the world. Frequent art exhibitions thrive on both the new and the
classic, as they once did in pre-Revolutionary times, and are derived from diverse
branches of the arts - painting, photography, and sculpture.

The State Historical Museum of Russia
(Государственный Исторический музей) is a museum of Russian history wedged
between Red Square and Manege Square in Moscow. Its exhibitions range from relics
of the prehistoric tribes inhabiting present-day Russia, through priceless
artworks acquired by members of the Romanov dynasty. The total number of
objects in the museum's collection numbers in the millions. The Polytechnical Museum,[17] founded in 1872 is the largest technical museum in Russia, offering
a wide array of historical inventions and technological achievements, including
humanoid automata of the 18th century and the first Soviet computers. Its
collection contains more than 160,000 items.[18] The Borodino Panorama[19]
museum located on Kutuzov Avenue provides an opportunity for visitors to
experience being on a battlefield with a 360° diorama. It is a
part of the large historical memorial commemorating the victory in the
Patriotic War of 1812 over Napoleon’s army, that includes also the Triumphal
arch erected in 1827. There is also a military history museum not to be missed,
it includes statues, military hardware, along with powerful tales of that
time.

Bolshoi theatre

Moscow is also the heart of Russian performing arts, including ballet and film. There are ninety-three theatres, 132
cinemas and twenty-four concert-halls in Moscow. Among Moscow’s many theatres
and ballet studios is the Bolshoi Theatre and the Malyi Theatre as well as Vakhtangov Theatre and Moscow Art Theatre. The repertories in a typical
Moscow season are exhaustive and modern interpretations of classic works,
whether operatic or theatrical, are quite common. State Central Concert Hall
Rossia,[20] famous for ballet and estrade
performances, is the place of frequent concerts of pop-stars such as Alla Pugacheva and is situated in the soon to be
demolished building of Hotel Rossiya, the largest hotel in Europe.

Moscow International Performance Arts Centre,[21] opened in 2003, also known as Moscow International House of
Music, is known for its performances in classical music. It also has the
largest organ in Russia installed in Svetlanov hall.

Soviet films are integral to film history and the Mosfilm studio
was at the heart of many Soviet classic films as it is responsible for both
artistic and mainstream productions.[23]
However, despite the continued presence and reputation of
internationally-renowned Russian filmmakers, the once prolific native studios
are much quieter. Rare and historical films may be seen in Salut cinema where
films from the Museum of Cinema[24]
collection are shown regularly.

There are 96 parks and 18 gardens in Moscow, Including 4 botanical gardens.
There are also 450 square kilometers (174 sq mi) of green zones besides
100 square kilometers (39 sq mi) of forests.[25] Moscow is a very green city if compared to other cities of
comparable size in Western Europe and America. There are average 27 square
meters (290 sq ft) of parks per person in Moscow compared with 6 for
Paris, 7.5 in
London and
8.6 in New York.[26]

The Central Park of Culture and Rest named after
Maxim Gorky founded in 1928. The main part with area of
689,000 square metres (170 acres)[26]
along the Moskva river contains estrades, children
attractions, including the Observation Wheel water ponds with boats and water
bicycles, dancing, tennis courts and other sport facilities. It borders the
Neskuchniy Garden with area of 408,000 square metres
(101 acres) — the oldest park in Moscow, and a former Emperor's residence,
created as a result of integration of three estates of XVIII century, which
contains also the Green Theatre, one of the largest open amphitheatres in
Europe, able to contain up to 15 thousand people.[27]

Sokolniki Park, which got its name from the falcon hunting that
occurred here in the past, is one of the oldest in Moscow and has an area of
6 square kilometers (2 sq mi). From a central circle with a large fountain
radiate birch, maple and elm tree alleys. Farther, after the Deer ponds, there
is a labyrinth, composed of green paths.

Losiny Ostrov National Park (literally
— "Elk Island"), bordering the Sokolniki park, with total area of more than
116 square kilometers (45 sq mi) is the first national park of Russia, located
in Moscow and Moscow Oblast. It is also known as the "city taiga",
where elk can be seen.

Tsytsin Main Botanical Garden of
Academy of Sciences, founded in 1945 is the largest in Europe.[28] It covers territory of 3.61 square kilometers
(1.39 sq mi) bordering the All-Russian Exhibition
Centre and contains a live exhibition of more than 20 thousand of different
species of plants from different parts of the world as well as scientific
research laboratory. It also contains a rosarium with 20 thousand rose bushes,
a dendrarium, and an oak forest with average age of trees exceeding 100 years
as well as a greenhouse on more than 5000 square meters.[26]

Lilac Park, founded in 1958, is known for its permanent sculpture exposition
and a large rosarium.

Other popular attractions include the Moscow
Zoo, home to nearly a thousands species and more than 6,500
specimens.[32] Each year, the zoo
attracts more than 1.2 million visitors.[32] The long days will also afford one more time to cover the immense
wealth of historical, cultural or simply popular sites in Moscow.

Sports

Moscow possesses a large number of various sport facilities and over 500
Olympic champions lived in the city by 2005. [33] Moscow is home to sixty-three stadia (besides eight football and
eleven light athletics maneges), of which Luzhniki Stadium is the largest and the 4th biggest in
Europe (it hosted the UEFA Cup 1998-99 and UEFA Champions League 2007-08 finals).
Forty other sport complexes are located within the city, including twenty-four
with artificial ice. There are also seven horse
racing tracks in Moscow,[25] of which Central Moscow Hippodrome,[34] founded in 1834, is the largest.

Moscow was the host city of the 1980 Summer Olympics, although the yachting events
were held at Tallinn, in present-day Estonia. Large
athletic facilities and the main international airport, Sheremetyevo Terminal
2, were built in preparation for the 1980 Summer Olympics. Moscow had also made
a bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics. However, when final voting
commenced on 6
July2005,
Moscow was the first city to be eliminated from further rounds. The Games were
finally awarded to London.

Because of Moscow's cold local climate, winter
sports have a large following as well. Many of Moscow's large parks offer
marked trails for skiers and frozen ponds for skaters.

Moscow also hosts the annual Kremlin
Cup, a popular tennis tournament on both the WTA and ATP tours. It is regarded as a
very prestigious tournament and is one of the ten Tier-I events on the women's
tour and a host of Russian players feature every year.

Night life

There is a vibrant night life in Moscow. The major and one of the most
popular nightlife areas is around Tverskaya Street. The southern part of Tverskaya Street
near the Manege Square and the Red
Square area is known as an area with many expensive, luxurious bars and
restaurants, and is considered being a playground for New Russians and celebrities. Tverskaya Street is also one
of the busiest shopping streets in Moscow.

Education and science

There are 1696 high schools in Moscow, as well as 91 colleges.[25] Besides these, there are 222
institutions offering higher education in Moscow, including 60 state
universities[25] and the
Lomonosov Moscow State University, which was
founded in 1755.[36] The
university main building located in Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills) is 240 meters (787 ft) tall and when
completed, was the tallest building outside the United States.[37] The university has over 30,000 undergraduate and 7,000 postgraduate students, who have a choice of
twenty-nine faculties and 450 departments for study. Additionally,
approximately 10,000 high school students take courses at the university, while
over two thousand researchers work. The Moscow State University library
contains over nine million books, making it one of the largest libraries in all
of Russia. Its acclaim throughout the international academic community has
meant that over 11,000 international students have graduated from the
university, with many coming to Moscow to learn the Russian language.

Bauman Moscow State
Technical University, founded in 1830, is located in the centre of Moscow
and provides more than 18,000 undergraduate and 1,000 postgraduate students
with an education in science and engineering offering a wide range of technical
degrees.[38] Since it opened enrolment to
students from outside Russia in 1991, Bauman Moscow State Technical University
has increased its international enrolment to up to two hundred.[39]

Moscow State
Institute of International Relations, founded in 1944, remains Russia's
best known school of international relations and diplomacy, with six different
schools focused on international relations. Approximately 4,500 students make
up the university's student body and over 700,000 Russian and foreign-language
books — of which 20,000 are considered rare — can be found in the library of
the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.[41]

Although Moscow has a number of famous Soviet-era higher educational
institutions, most of which are more oriented towards engineering or the fundamental science, in recent years
Moscow has seen a significant growth in the number of commercial and private
institutions that offer classes in business and management.
Many state institutions have expanded their education scope and increased their
student enrolments. Institutions in Moscow, as well as the rest of post-Soviet
Russia, have begun to offer new international certificates and postgraduate degrees, including the Master of Business Administration.
Student exchange programs with different
(especially, European) countries also have become widespread in Moscow's
universities, while many schools within the Russian capital will also offer
seminars, lectures, and courses for corporate employees and businessmen.

Moscow is known as one of the most important science centres in Russia. The
headquarters of the Russian Academy of Sciences are located in
Moscow as well as numerous research and applied science institutions.

There are 452 libraries in the city, including 168 for children.[25] The Russian State Library,[43] founded in 1862 is the national library of Russia. The
Russian State Library is home to over 275 kilometres of shelves and forty-two
million items, including over seventeen million books and serial volumes,
thirteen million journals, 350,000 music scores and sound records, and 150,000
maps, making it the largest library in Russia and one of the largest in the
world. Items in 247 different languages comprise approximately twenty-nine
percent of the collection.[44][45]

The State Public Historical Library, founded in 1863, is the largest
library, specialising in Russian history. Its collection contains four million
items in 112 languages (including 47 languages of the former USSR), mostly on
Russian and world history, heraldry, numismatics, and the history of science.[46]

Transport

There are five primary commercial airports serving Moscow: Sheremetyevo International
Airport, Domodedovo International Airport,
Bykovo Airport, Ostafievo International
Airport and Vnukovo International Airport. Sheremetyevo
International Airport is the most common entry point for foreign passengers,
handling sixty percent of all international flights.[47]Domodedovo International Airport is the
leading airport in Russia in terms of passenger throughput, and is the primary
gateway to long-haul domestic and CIS destinations and its international
traffic rivals Sheremetyevo's. The three other airports particularly offer
flights within Russia and to and from states from the former Soviet
Union.[48] Moscow's airports vary in
distances from MKAD beltway: Bykovo is the farthest, at 35 kilometres (21 mi);
Domodedovo is next at 22 kilometres (13.7 mi); Vnukovo is 11 kilometres
(6.8 mi); Sheremetyevo is 10 kilometres (6.25 mi); and Ostafievo, the nearest,
is about 8 kilometers (5 mi) from MKAD.[47]

Moscow also has two passenger terminals, (South River Terminal and North River Terminal or Rechnoy vokzal), on the
river and regular ship routes and cruises along Moskva and Oka
rivers, which are used mostly for entertainment. North river terminal, built in
1937, is also the main hub for long-range river routes. There are also three
freight ports serving Moscow. Besides this Moscow has a bus terminal for
long-range and intercity passenger buses (Central Bus Terminal)
with daily turnover of about 25 thousand passengers serving about 40% of
long-range bus routes in Moscow.[51]

Local transport includes the Moscow
Metro, a metro system famous for its art, murals, mosaics, and ornate
chandeliers. When it first opened in 1935, the system had just
one line. But today, the Moscow Metro contains twelve lines, mostly underground
with a total of 176 stations. The Metro is one of the deepest subway systems in
the world; for instance the Park
Pobedy station, completed in 2003, at 84 metres underground, has the
longest escalators in Europe. The Moscow Metro is one of world's busiest
metro systems, serving more than nine million passengers daily.[52] There is also a monorail line, operated by the same
company. Facing serious transportation problems, Moscow has wide plans of
expansion of Moscow Metro.

As Metro stations outside the city centre are far apart in comparison to
other cities, up to four kilometres (2.5 mi), an extensive bus network radiates
from each station to the surrounding residential zones. Suburbs and satellite
cities also connected by commuter elektrichka (electric rail network). Every large street in
the city is served by at least one bus route. There are also extensive tram and trolleybus
networks.

There's a saving-time search engine for tracing all kinds of Moscow's city
transport routes at Moscow Routes
website.

There are over 2.6 million cars in the city on a daily basis.[25] Recent years have seen the growth
in the number of cars, which have caused traffic jams and the lack of parking
space to become major problems.

The MKAD, along with the Third
Transport Ring and the future Fourth Transport Ring, is one of only three
freeways
that run within Moscow city limits. However, as one can easily observe from a
map of Moscow area, there are several other roadway systems that form concentric circles around the city.

A significant portion of Russia's profits and development is concentrated in
Moscow as many multi-national corporations have branches and offices in the
city. The plush offices and the lifestyles of the typical corporate employee in
Moscow are often indistinguishable from any Western European city, although the average salary for the
Muscovite is a bit lower.[54] Since the
Russian financial crisis in late 1998, various
business sectors in Moscow have shown exponential rates of growth. Many new
business centres and office buildings have been built in recent years, but
Moscow still experiences shortages in office space. As a result, many former
industrial and research facilities are being reconstructed to become suitable
for office use.

However, while the overall stability has improved in the recent years, crime
and corruption continue to remain a problem hindering business development.

The Cherkizovskiy marketplace, controlled by the Azeridiaspora is the largest marketplace in Europe with daily
turnover of about thirty million dollars and about ten thousand sellers[55] from different countries (including the
China, Turkey, Azerbaijan
and India).
It is administratively divided into twelve parts and covers a wide sector of
the city.

Moscow is one of the top cities in the world for billionaires; in 2006, Forbes ranked
Moscow second in highest number of billionaires, surpassed only by New
York City.[56] In 2004, Russia's
thirty-six billionaires (of whom only three did not live in Moscow) held the
equivalent of twenty-four percent of Russia's gross domestic product.[57] The nouveau riche, also called the "New Russians", often
pejoratively, have a reputation for flaunting their wealth; the avenues for
doing so, and subtly, have also increased in recent times — a sense of fashion
and self-consciousness has instilled itself through the many haute
couture and haute cuisine spots in Moscow.

Industry

The Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant is one of the
leading producers of military and civil helicopters in the world. Khrunichev State
Research and Production Space Center produces various space equipment,
including modules for space stations Mir, Salyut and the ISS as well as Proton
launch vehicles and military ICBMs. Automobile plants ZiL and AZLK, as well as
the Voitovich Rail Vehicle plant, are situated in Moscow and Metrowagonmash metro wagon plant is located just outside
the city limits. The Poljot Moscow watch factory produces reliable military,
professional and sport watches well known in Russia and abroad. Yuri
Gagarin in his trip into space used "Shturmanskie", produced by this
factory. The Electrozavod factory was the first transformer factory in Russia.
The Kristall distillery[58] is the oldest
distillery in Russia producing various vodka types,
including "Stolichnaya" while a wide assortment of wines are produced at
several Moscow wine plants, including Moscow Interrepublican Vinery.[59] The Moscow Jewelry Factory[60] and the Jewellerprom[61] are important producers of jewelry in Russia; Jewellerprom
used to produce the famous and exclusive Order of Victory, awarded to those aiding the Soviet
Union's Red Army during World
War II. There are also many other industries located just outside the city
of Moscow, as well as many microelectronic industries in Zelenograd.

Moscow also hosts headquarters of various software development companies,
including such as worldwide-known producer of anti-virus software Kaspersky Lab, business software and games producer
1C
Company, developer of text recognition and translation software ABBYY software
house, game developer Akella company and many others.

Despite the economic growth experienced in Moscow since the dawn of the
twenty-first century, many industries have undergone various
crises in recent years. Some of them have been sold to foreign investors,
such as OTIS and British American Tobacco, and others have been
closed down to make room for new buildings constructed as business centres.
Additionally, some industry is now being transferred out of Moscow to improve
the ecological state of the city. Nevertheless, the city of Moscow remains one
of Russia's major industrial centres.

Living costs

Triumph-Palace building, built in 2005, the second tallest
building in Europe is just one of many prestigious residential complexes

During Soviet times apartments were lent to people by the
government according to the square meters-per-person norm (some groups,
including people's artists, heroes and prominent scientists had bonuses
according to their honours). Private ownership of apartments was limited until the
1990s, when people were permitted to secure property rights to the places they
inhabited. Since the Soviet era, estate owners have had to pay the service
charge for their residences, a fixed amount based on persons per living area.
Due to the current economic situation, the price of real
estate in Moscow continues to rise. Today, one could expect to pay US$4000
in average per square meter (11 sq ft) in the outskirts of the city[62] or US$6000-$7000 per square meter in a
prestigious district. The price sometimes may exceed US$40000 per square meter
in a flat.[63][64][65] It costs about
US$2500 per month to rent a 1-bedroom apartment and about US$1500 per month for
a studio in the center of Moscow. A typical one-bedroom apartment is about
thirty square meters (323 sq ft), a typical two-bedroom apartment is forty-five
square meters (485 sq ft), and a typical three-bedroom apartment is seventy
square meters (753 sq ft). Many cannot move out of their apartments, especially
if a family lives in a two-room apartment originally granted by the state
during the Soviet era. Some city residents have attempted to cope with the cost
of living by renting their apartments while staying in dachas (country
house) outside the city.

As of 2006, there are 8.47 million Muscovites able to work. 1.73 million are
employed by the state, 4.42 million are employed by private companies, and 1.99
million are employed by small businesses. There are 74,400 officially
registered unemployed working age, of which 34,400 are eligible for
unemployment benefits.[25]

Future development

Moscow International Business Centre or Moscow-City is a projected part of central Moscow.
Geographically situated in Presnensky District, located at the Third
Ring, the Moscow-City area is under intense development.

The goal of MIBC "Moscow-City" is to create a zone, the first in Russia, and
in all of Eastern Europe, that will combine business activity, living space and
entertainment. It will be a city within a city. The project was conceived by
the Moscow government in 1992.

The construction of MIBC "Moscow-City" takes place on the Krasnopresnenskaya
embankment. The whole project takes up 1 square kilometer (247 acres). This
area is the only spot in downtown Moscow that can accommodate a project of this
magnitude. Today, most of the buildings there are old factories and industrial
complexes.

The Federation Tower, now being built is to be completed in
2008, will become the tallest building in Europe when completed.

At overall completion the plan is to have one of the tallest buildings in
the world; the Russia Tower is planned to be completed by 2012 at a
height of 612,2 meters (2009 ft), second only to the Burj
Dubai.[66] Also to be included in the
project are a waterpark and other recreational facilities; trade and
entertainment complexes, numerous prestigious office and residential buildings,
the transport node and the new site of the Moscow government. The
construction of four new metro stations in the territory has already been
completed, of which two have already opened and two others are reserved for
future metro lines crossing MIBC, some additional stations were planned. A rail
shuttle service, directly connecting MIBC with Sheremetyevo Airport is also planned.

Demographics

Population: According to the 2002 Census the population of the city was
10,382,754, however, this figure only takes into account legal residents, and
not the several million estimated illegal immigrants and guest workers living in the city.[citation needed]

For centuries Moscow has been the largest city in Russia and/or the Soviet
Union, however the collapse of the latter has led to a decline in Siberian as well as many other Russian cities, so that Moscow's
growth and dominance over Saint Petersburg and the rest of the nation has become
even more pronounced.[citation needed]

Due to a low birth
rate[70] and high mortality rate, the
population of Russia has been declining by about 700,000 persons per year since
the fall of the Soviet Union. In 2003 the number of deaths exceeded
the number of births by approximately 49,400. Whilst the birth rate has risen
in more recent years, the average age of Moscow's population continues to
increase. In 2004 there were more than twice as many people over the age of 55
as there were under the age of 14.[citation needed]

Substantial numbers of internal migrants mean that Moscow's population is
still increasing, whereas the population of many other Russian cities is in
decline. Migrants are attracted by Moscow's strong economy which contrasts
sharply with the stagnation in many other parts of Russia. In order to help
regulate population growth, Moscow has an internal passport system that prohibits non-residents
from staying in the capital for more than ninety days without
registration.[citation needed]

Media

English-language media include The Moscow Times and Moscow
News which are, respectively, the largest[72] and oldest English-language weekly newspapers in all of Russia. The
eXile is a newspaper intended for English-speaking expatriates in Moscow
and is known for its satirical nature and pranks on Russian
politicians.[73] Expert, Kommersant,
and Gazeta are Russian-language media headquartered in Moscow. Expert
and Kommersant are among the country's leading and oldest Russian-language
business newspapers.

Other notable media of Moscow include the Echo of Moscow, the first Soviet and Russian private news
radio and information agency, and NTV, one of the first privately owned Russian television
stations.